We check in with people at each stage of the cash transfer process to see how things are going. Take a look at some of their stories as they appear here in real-time.
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2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
53150 KES ($464 USD)
access_time over 2 years ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
I had planned on renovating my house and purchasing household items and clothes for my children. I did not have a new goal. I am so grateful because I have fulfilled all my wish lists.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
GiveDirectly does well by giving money to the poor in the community to build a better house and to purchase dairy cows. Most of the people who were registered spent the money well. I do not find anything that GiveDirectly did not do well.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I spent KES 5,000 on renovating my store. It now looks decent and strong. I use it for storing my farm produce. I spent KES 20,000 on clothes for my spouse and children. We had always wished to have decent clothes and this was our opportunity to buy them for my children. I spent KES 16,000 on purchasing four sacks of maize. We did not have enough food at that particular time and we decided with my spouse to purchase enough for the family. The rest of the money I spent on household basic items and saved some amount for emergencies. I am so grateful for the support because GiveDirectly has changed our living standards and enabled us fulfilled our dreams.
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($495 USD)
access_time 3 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
My husband was the first one to check on the message that had just been sent to my phone that morning as I was busy with the kitchen work with my phone on the table right where my spouse was seated. On checking it, the expression on his face indicated that something exciting had just come in. I had to also get closer to know what it was and to my surprise, it was the money that we had just received. I was grateful for this as we had been planning how best we would spend even before receiving it. We started planning on withdrawing but first, we needed to be clear on our budget, and this took us a week before visiting the shopping center where we withdrew and started spending on what we needed.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
Even though I have not started using the large water tank that I bought, this has been the greatest project so far as it will soon cushion us from the hard experience of fetching water from the river located kilometers away from home. It will be a solution to the scarcity of water not only for the livestock but also for our household use.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
With the first KES19500 of my first transfer, I managed to obtain a 3000liter water tank currently planning to set its foundation so that we can use it in collecting rainwater from the roof. Fetching water from the river had been so challenging especially during dry seasons when everyone fetches from the same point and obtaining a water tank will reduce the frequency of walking to and from the river on such seasons. I also bought a cow to add to the one that had been supplying us with milk. I needed an additional cow to serve us if the one we already have stopped producing milk as we had been buying whenever that happens. I also purchased some food worth KES 6000 after topping up the remaining amount with my savings as we needed maize to keep us going as our harvest in the past season was poor. I am grateful that all we have done is impressive and now looking forward to the second transfer.
Enrolled
access_time over 3 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means an improved granary for my household. I have a small and old granary that is in a deplorable state; it leaks a lot. During the maize harvest season, I get worried about my storage facility forcing me to store some in the maize house. Owing to this, I have aspired to build a better granary. I intend to spend Ksh 25,000 of my first transfer from Give Directly on it. The remaining cash will be used to buy a dairy cow and lead a better life. This marks a cornerstone to a fulfilling life.
What is the happiest part of your day?
My normal day entails spending my morning hours in my 0.1 an acre garden where I have grown onions, pumpkins, and kales for domestic use. I spend my afternoon hours herding our one dairy cow and taking it to drink water in a river that is far from our home. Having time to rest and cook for my family in the evening is the happiest part of my day.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
A prolonged period of drought has been the biggest hardship we have faced in life. We usually experience minimal rainfall throughout the year and getting water for domestic use is an uphill task. Our water pans and wells get dry most of the time forcing us to walk long distances in search of water. Water has become a rare commodity in our region especially for cattle because where we take them for water is approximately 4 kilometers away. If all goes well, I will spend our second transfer from Give Directly to acquire water tanks and take advantage of tapping rainy water during the rainy season. To a greater extent, this will lessen our burden of getting water for domestic use.
